boycott

The word “boycott” means to refuse to buy from, deal with, or take part in something, as a form of protest. In plain terms, to deliberately avoid buying from or dealing with someone or something as a protest.

“Boycott” is pronounced BOY-kot (/ˈbɔɪkɑt/ in IPA).

Here is “boycott” used in a sentence: “Consumers began to boycott the brand after the scandal broke.”

Words with a similar meaning to “boycott” include embargo.

The opposite of “boycott” — its antonyms — are buycott, endorse, favour and procott.

Depending on how it is used, “boycott” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “boycott” dates back to around 1880. From the surname of Charles Boycott, an English land agent in Ireland who was shunned by his community in an organized protest in 1880.

“Boycott” is an uncommon word in modern English.

A boycott is an organized refusal to buy from, deal with, or take part in something as a form of protest, typically carried out by consumers or outside groups. A strike is a refusal to work, carried out specifically by employees of an organization, making the two forms of protest distinct in who participates and how.

Yes, boycott functions as both a verb, meaning to refuse to buy from or deal with something as protest, and a noun, meaning the organized refusal itself, as in "they announced a boycott of the company."

A boycott is generally a voluntary protest action taken by individuals, groups, or consumers, while an embargo is usually an official restriction imposed by a government, often barring trade with another country. Boycotts tend to be grassroots in nature, whereas embargoes carry legal or political authority.